Crops
CNS Canada — Manitoba’s buckwheat crops are off to a good start, little affected by storms, but now the crops need heat. According to Rejean Picard, a provincial farm production extension advisor at Somerset, Man., the crops started off strong, as June’s weather provided good establishing conditions. The same can’t be said for July, however. […] Read more
Manitoba buckwheat in need of higher temperatures
ConAgra names activist investor nominees to board
Reuters — ConAgra Foods said it would add two directors, including a former Nestle executive nominated by Jana Partners, three weeks after the activist investor took a stake in the food processing company and called for changes. ConAgra will appoint former Nestle USA CEO Bradley Alford and former Walgreens Boots Alliance CFO Timothy McLevish to […] Read more
U.S. grains: Corn sets one-year highs on tighter old-crop U.S. supply
Chicago | Reuters — U.S. corn futures reached one-year highs and soybeans jumped on Friday as the U.S. Agriculture Department made bigger-than-expected cuts to its estimates for stocks of crops left over from last year’s harvests. The reductions, revealed in a monthly USDA report, added to concerns about supplies among traders worried that persistent rains […] Read more
Ready to launch: Why pulses are the future of food
Peas, beans, lentils, and chickpeas have been around for centuries, but they are poised to enter the spotlight like never before
Reading Time: 3 minutes Can an old food become new again? Peas, beans, lentils, and chickpeas have been staples for centuries, but pulses are on the verge of becoming the next big thing. Next year, 2016, is the United Nations’ International Year of Pulses (IYoP) and there is a fistful of good reasons why these crops could become the […] Read more
Russia, Ukraine may cut grain crop forecasts as temperatures rise
Moscow/Kiev | Reuters — Major Black Sea wheat exporters Russia and Ukraine may cut their official 2015 grain crop forecasts as recent hot weather has raised the risks to plants and rains elsewhere have delayed the harvest and dented quality, farmers and officials said. Russia and Ukraine’s agriculture ministries have said if hot weather persists […] Read more
U.S. old-crop soy, corn stocks miss forecasts
Washington | Reuters — The U.S. Agriculture Department on Friday cut its outlook for the supply of corn and soybeans that will be left over at the end of the 2014-15 marketing year by more than expected, sending futures prices sharply higher. But new-crop corn and soybean stocks came in above expectations due to large […] Read more
Parched Prairie forages hang in under stress
CNS Canada — Sporadic rains and prolonged periods of dryness are taking their toll on forage crops in Alberta and parts of Saskatchewan. According to Terry Kowalchuk, a forage crop specialist with Saskatchewan Agriculture in Regina, the eastern half of the province is managing, but the situation is worse in the province’s west. The western […] Read more
K+S investors see PotashCorp deal within reach despite rebuff
Frankfurt | Reuters — Shareholders in takeover target K+S say a deal could be done because suitor PotashCorp’s main aim is to get control over its German rival’s ambitious Canadian project and scale it back. K+S’s Legacy mine, being built northeast of Moose Jaw near Bethune, Sask., would be the first built from scratch in […] Read more
U.S. grains: Soybeans, corn rally ahead of USDA report
Chicago | Reuters –– Chicago Board of Trade soybean futures surged 2.9 per cent on Thursday on concerns that more rain in the U.S. Midwest would hinder crop development, traders said. Corn futures followed soybeans higher. Expectations that the U.S. Agriculture Department will trim its production forecast for both commodities in its monthly supply and […] Read more
Benchmark offers pricing on feed pea value
Feed Pea Benchmark evaluates feed ingredients to determine when feed peas are economically feasible in swine rations
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Alberta Pulse Growers and its Saskatchewan counterpart are relaunching the Feed Pea Benchmark with additional feed ingredient comparisons for Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. “This is a good tool for the marketplace and growers who are looking at a feed option for their field peas,” said Allison Ammeter, chair of the Alberta Pulse Growers. The […] Read more